Symbols in the Great Gatsby
In The Great Gatsby, there are a variety of symbols that Fitzgerald uses to demonstrate Gatsby’s dreams, social decay, and the eyes of God. Gatsby’s hopes and dreams are symbolized by the green light on the dock of the Buchanans. Gatsby is driven to become rich and throw lavish parties in order to get the attention of Daisy. The green light is also associated with the American Dream, since in the process of trying to get Daisy, Gatsby becomes rich. The Valley of Ashes represents the moral decay that had taken place in the American society due to avarice and the desire to become rich. The Valley of Ashes signifies the moral decomposition of society created by the pursuit of wealth. The eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg are a pair of diminishing, old eyes that are painted on a billboard over the Valley of Ashes. It may symbolize the eyes of God looking down upon the ruins of society. Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald never actually states that the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg are the eyes of God, but Mr. Wilson views the eyes as the eyes of God. The eyes motivate Mr. Wilson to avenge his wife’s death, ultimately ending in Gatsby’s death. The green light, Valley of Ashes, and the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg are various symbols that Fitzgerald uses to display the dreams of Gatsby, social immorality, and the judging eyes of God.
The green light at the end of the Buchanan’s dock represents Gatsby’s “American Dream” and his yearning for Daisy. Gatsby’s hopes and dreams for Daisy are associated with the American Dream and Jay Gatsby exhibits the American Dream of wealth and materialism in the 1920s. Although Gatsby never achieved the American Dream, he lived parts of the dream but could never actually have Daisy because he was living in the past. “If one likes the spectacle of fast-living people who care nothing for conventions and know no loyalty except to their own vices, one will find it in this novel” (Taylor 65). Gatsby’s loyalty was to his dream for Daisy and he only made himself better because of Daisy. In chapter I, Nick sees Gatsby with his arms stretched outward toward the green light as if he has a desire for it. “He stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntary I glanced seaward-and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute far way, that might have been the end of a dock” (Fitzgerald 21). The green light symbolizes Gatsby’s longing for Daisy, but more importantly the green light is a symbol of the American Dream. The American Dream had become corrupt in the 1920s, where moral values and hard-work were ignored in order to gain personal wealth and pleasures. Gatsby lives a life of luxury, throws lavish parties, and lives in a mansion in order to obtain the attention of Daisy. (Magnum 514) “Although Daisy has been married off to Tom Buchanan, Gatsby is determined to win her back by displaying his new found wealth” (Roberts 4). Gatsby’s whole life is Daisy and because of his obsession with Daisy, he obtains wealth. The green light is a sign of hope to Gatsby and he wishes to attain wealth and power so he can succeed in getting Daisy to love him.
The Valley of Ashes is a strip of land between the West Egg and New York City that indicates the moral and social decay that the dilapidated American Dream that resulted from materialism and riches. The Valley of Ashes represents corruption, decay in mortality, and corrosion in spirit. Fitzgerald suggests that beneath the riches and glamour, there is a level of death and poverty. “Despite the riches and glory of Gatsby and the whole East Egg, the Valley of Ashes shows decay on multiple levels” (Henderson 1-2). The Valley has become a wasteland that shows what America has become, and the Valley of Ashes is also where immoral acts take place such as Tom’s visit to his mistress, Myrtle. (Magnum 515) Nick states that the abundance of immoral acts in the Valley of Ashes is “a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat…” (Fitzgerald 25) However, the Valley of Ashes seems to contradict another symbol throughout the book. Dr. Eckleburg’s eyes seem to represent the eyes of God and ironically the “eyes” of God would be placed in a location of such decline and decay. (O’Meara 7) From the billboard, the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg watch over the Valley of Ashes and the decomposition that has occurred.
The eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg overlook the Valley of Ashes and symbolize the eyes’ of God looking upon the moral decomposition in American society. Fitzgerald uses the eyes as a Godlike reminder to all people that God is watching and judging us. “… Above the gray land and the spasms of bleak dust which drift endlessly over it, you perceive, after a moment, the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg. They look out of no face, but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a non-existent nose. … But his eyes, dimmed a little by many paintless days under sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground” (Fitzgerald 24). In The Great Gatsby, most of the characters put meaning into the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg, but Fitzgerald never actually make that connection. Only Mr. Wilson believes that Doctor Eckleburg eyes are the eyes of God and that God is watching him and judging him. “God knows what you’ve been doing, everything you’ve been doing. You may fool me, but you can’t fool God!” (Fitzgerald 160). Mr. Wilson believes that the eyes watch over the immoral acts his wife does and he thinks that it is God’s will to avenge Myrtle’s death. The appearance of the eyes may have a completely different meaning than their actual position in the Valley of Ashes. (Callahan 22) The eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg are a symbol of the judging and omniscient God that observes the American society and its moral decay.
In The Great Gatsby, the green light, Valley of Ashes, and the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg all represent the dreams of Gatsby, moral decay of American society, and the eyes of God. The green light is nothing more than a symbol for Daisy, whom Gatsby had, fell in love with before going to war. The green light is also related to the American Dream because Gatsby becomes wealthy in order to be with Daisy. Gatsby displays the American Dream of getting rich fast, but his schemes are illegal and demonstrate that people are willing to get rich through dishonest and immoral methods. The Valley of Ashes demonstrates the moral decay and society’s immorality during the 1920s. The Valley of Ashes is the result of the pursuit of happiness, wealth, and power otherwise known as the American Dream. During the 1920s, the American society became distant from the morals of working-hard to gain wealth. Instead the Valley of Ashes represents a decline in morality and a rise in poverty. The eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg view the horrors of the Valley of Ashes and symbolize the eyes of God. The eyes are similar to the eyes of God and watch over the people that pass through the Valley of Ashes, judging everyone. They are a sign to Mr. Wilson that he must take vengeance on who killed his wife, Myrtle. The vast symbols in the Great Gatsby are used to represent the hopes and dreams of Gatsby, the moral decomposition in American society, and the eyes of God that judge and watch over everyone.
Works Cited
Callahan, John F., “F. Scott Fitzgerald’s evolving American dream: The pursuit of happiness in Gatsby, Tender Is the Night, and The Last Tycoon.” Twentieth Century Literature: Proquest 42.3 (1996): 22
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Wordsworth Classic, 1998
O’Meara, Lauraleigh, “Medium of Exchange: The blue coupe dialogue in The Great Gatsby.” Papers on Language and Literature: Proquest 30.1 (1994): 73
Magnum, Bryant, “The Great Gatsby,” Encyclopedia of the Novel, ed. Paul Schellinger, London and Chicago: Fitzroy-Dearborn, 1998, pp.514-515
Roberts, Marilyn, “Scarface, The Great Gatsby, and the American Dream.” Literature/Film Quarterly: Proquest 34.1 (2006): 8
Taylor, Judd. “Gatsby’s Idea of American Dream.” The Great Gatsby. 1999. Novel Analysis. 27 Feb. 2007
